How was K-SF's 'Jeongi' created through Engine Visual Wave?

The Netflix movie 'Jungi' is attracting attention for its VFX (visual special effects) technology, which visually embodies the world view of the 22nd century where cutting-edge technology coexists against the backdrop of a ruined Earth.

Enjin Visual Wave, a VFX subsidiary of content media group NEW (Next Entertainment World), is creating a new horizon for Korean science fiction genre films, including a world view where dystopia unique to the cyberpunk genre coexists with cutting-edge technology, and a combat-type AI that stands on the border between humans and robots. He was in charge of the visual special effects for ‘Jeong-i’, directed by Yeon Sang-ho, who is said to have opened the door.

In order to successfully realize director Yeon Sang-ho's big picture set in 2194, Engine Visual Wave worked hard to enhance the details of the world view by visualizing the image the director had in mind from the stage before the final scenario was released.

Based on the setting of a dystopia submerged in water due to rapid climate change, major spaces and landscapes such as the cityscape, Cronoid headquarters, and fuel rod factory were designed, and structural plausibility was strengthened by setting up robots made of plastic that do not rust in water.

In this process, Enjin Visual Wave established a design concept through consultation with the costume, makeup, and special makeup teams from the early stages to realistically implement Jeongi, the best combat AI capable of expressing emotions. Na Il-hwan, director of Enjin Visual Wave's pre-production headquarters, said, "We started from the imagination of where and what resources a future city submerged in water would obtain, and instead of a typical metal robot, we designed a plastic robot that is not vulnerable to water. “He said, “We were always wary of parts that could be overdone in the pursuit of something completely different and new, and we built it up step by step to persuade the audience based on authenticity and plausibility.”

In this way, the pre-pre production process, which develops the overall visuals by inferring and designing the details of the worldview, is a step added to content with a high proportion of VFX due to the nature of the SF genre, such as 'Jeong-i', and is a specialization of Enjin Visual Wave. It is also an area. By developing differentiated concept visuals and going through a pre-production process that strengthens the probability of the content worldview, you can reduce initial resources, save time, and reduce overall production costs.

Amid continued favorable reviews for its gorgeous visuals and technical ability to create scenes that are impossible to film in real life, the content industry's attention is focused on Engine Visual Wave, which oversaw the VFX of 'Jeong-i', and Dexter Studio, which participated in the production. Jeong Hwang-soo, Supervisor Headquarters Director of Enjin Visual Wave, who worked with director Yeon Sang-ho on 'Train to Busan', 'Peninsula', 'Hell', and 'Jeong-i', said, "'Jeong-i' is a work with a high proportion of VFX, so Enjin Visual Wave and Dexter “It is a rare case where the studio worked together to efficiently divide the sequence from pre to post, taking advantage of the strengths of both companies,” he said. “It is meaningful as it is a work created jointly by both companies with the quality of the work as the top priority.”

Meanwhile, Enjin Visual Wave is focusing on VFX work for Disney+'s original series 'Moving', which is scheduled to be released this year, as well as director Kang Hyeong-cheol's new film 'High Five' and director Eom Tae-hwa's new film 'Concrete Utopia'.

Kang Min-kyung, Ten Asia reporter kkk39@tenasia.co.kr